Dragon News - No. 2, 2013

M e M b e r M aga z i n e fo r t h e Sw e d i S h C h a M b e rS o f C oMM e rC e i n h o n g Ko n g a n d C h i n a

No.022013

China’s industry has overcapacity in almost every sector andaverage productivity is very low. Swedish companies have

great opportunities to help China’s industry to become more efficient.

the malady thatChina has to cure

Download theDragon News app

20Erik Nelander

aiming tomake China

SKf’s bestmarket

22Kristina Tjäder

the housethat three

sisters built

30Young Professionals

active social network in four cities

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ADVERTISERS

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Environmental Air of Sweden (EAS) page 41, Ericsson page 9

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Handelsbanken page 56, Hellström page 45, Iggesund Paperboard page 23

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Mannheimer Swartling pages 28-29, Nordea page 49, Primasia page 51

Radisson Blu page 47, Scandinavian Furniture page 51, Scania page 49

Scan Global Logistics page 53, SEB page 5, Sigtuna Humanistiska Läroverk page 19

Swedbank page 43, Swegon page 39, Vinge page 33, Volvo page 37

Thank you!

APC Logisticsfor your immense generosity shipping and distributing Dragon News in China, Hong Kong, Asia and Sweden.

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The Swedish Chambers of Commerce in Hong Kong and China

PublisherThe Swedish Chambers of Commercein Hong Kong and ChinaFor advertising inquiries, please contact respective chamber’s officeThe opinions expressed in articles in Dragon News are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher.

Editorial management, design and printingBamboo Business Communications LtdTel: +852 2838 4553Fax: +852 2873 3329www.bambooinasia.com [email protected] director: Johnny ChanDesigner: Victor DaiEnglish editor: Chris Taylor

Cover photo: iStockphoto

INQUIRIESSwedish Chamber of Commerce in Hong KongRoom 2503, 25/F, BEA Harbour View Centre56, Gloucester Road, Wanchai, Hong KongTel: +852 2525 0349E-mail: [email protected]: www.swedcham.com.hkGeneral Manager: Eva KarlbergFinance & Administration Manager: Maria TornvingIntern: Elin Bornefalk

INQUIRIESSwedish Chamber of Commerce in ChinaRoom 313, Radisson Blu Hotel6A, East Beisanhuan Road, Chaoyang DistrictBeijing 100028, People’s Republic of ChinaTel: +86 10 5922 3388, ext 313Fax: +86 10 6464 1271E-mail: [email protected]: www.swedishchamber.com.cnGeneral Manager: Yvonne ChenOffice Manager Beijing: Karin RoosWebmaster & Finance Assistant: Jaycee YangAdministration Assistant: Vika Jiao

Shanghai ContactOffice Manager Shanghai: Johanna PollnowEvent Manager: Emma Gunterberg SachsTel: +86 21 6217 1271Fax: +86 21 6217 0562Mobile: +86 1368 179 7675E-mail: [email protected]

Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong Swedish Chamber of Commerce in China

CONTENTS No.022013

4

8

38

40

20

48

Editorial

Snippets

Chamber activities in Shanghai

New members

Annual General Meeting in Hong Kong

Cover story:The malady that China has to cure

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6 Opinion: Eva Henriksson

20 Executive talk: Erik Nelander

26 Mats Harborn elected VP of the EUCCC

Young Professionals: A social network in four cities

30

Chamber activities in Beijing36

22 Feature: The house that three sisters built

34 Chamber activities in Hong Kong

52 After hours

54 The chamber and I: Reactions to the DN app

50 Annual General Meeting in China

50

DRAGONNEWS • NO.02/2013 3

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Dear Reader,

China’s tremendous industrial growth has amazed many. This edition of Dragon News deals particularly with one aspect of that growth – overcapacity. Other related issues include the environment, health and safety at the work place, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and so on. However, Chinese industry is struggling in many areas right now, despite reports of ongoing growth.

In these times of multi-faceted crisis, over-supply and overcapacity are not only a Chinese problem; it is perhaps a global problem.

Usha Haley, a professor of international business at Massey University, New Zealand, and her husband, George T Haley, likewise a professor, are the authors of the recently published study, Subsidies to Chinese Industry: State Capitalism, Business Strategy, and Trade Policy (Oxford University Press).

They have undertaken a thorough study on the state subsidies given to Chinese com-panies in a few selected industries.

For example, they have found that in the solar panel industry, since 2008 government subsidies have boosted Chinese manufactur-ing capacity tenfold, leading to vast global oversupply. That oversupply of solar panels has depressed world prices by 75 per cent.

According to their research, without state subsidies, these companies would be bankrupt. Recently, the state has turned its back on fund-

EDITORIAL

A question of unfair advantage

ing this industry due to its weak future and tak-ing into consideration anti-dumping measures, largely in the US. Not long after, in March this year, Suntech in Wuxi went belly up.

According to the Haley report, if the Chinese government sticks to its decision to stop funding unprofitable solar-panel manufacturers and support a revamping of the industry, more bankruptcies and restructur-ings will follow. However, they think China’s policy of subsidising targeted industries in or-der to dominate global markets will continue. This will in turn put a number of companies in trouble, eroding prices and thus, in the long run, affecting global competitiveness.

The report also found that a number of the subsidised companies – surprisingly enough – were among those that had no labour-cost advantage. In 2000, labour-intensive products constituted 37 per cent of all Chinese exports; by 2010, this had fallen to 14 per cent. Meanwhile, it was found that production, which is mostly undertaken by small companies, possessed no economies of scale. Yet, Chinese products routinely sold for 25 to 30 per cent less than those from the US or the European Union. The study reveals that subsidies in key Chinese manufactur-ing industries may exceed 30 per cent of the industrial output.

The reason, the study claims, is subsidies from central and local governments that result

in cheap land, R&D support, beneficial loans, artificially low-cost raw materials, electricity and other needed resources in order to help the companies become more competitive.

They foresee that Chinese companies will raise prices as international competition retreats.

Sweden is all for free trade. However, free trade typically requires a free market driven economy; Chinese state capitalism, on the other hand, can manipulate markets on a scale never seen before. Subsidies inevita-bly lead to cries for anti-dumping measures, which in turn lead to sanctions and trade wars. Of course, it could be argued that president Barack Obama’s support for General Motors was also a form of state capitalism. But there is a significant difference between targeted salvage missions and a business plan based and built on state subsidies.

This is the backdrop to what surely is com-ing in the years ahead as free trade jostles with trade restrictions in a more competitive world. We think everyone is in awe of China’s rise and understand that certain industries needed some support to get a smooth start, but when they enter global markets they need to do so on a market-economy level playing field.

For Swedish companies, the only response is to become even more competitive and in-novative. The source of innovation is the free play of thoughts and ideas, so let’s play and enjoy ourselves in the summer to come!

When it’s time to do business, we’re exceptionally open.

Every business has a different story and a different goal. We understand that. Over many years in this market of unique opportunities, we’ve developed the local knowledge, resources and connections needed to turn ambitions into reality. That’s why we’re one of the most well-established northern European banks in the region. For corporates, financial institutions and private banking clients, we’re ready to listen and cater to your needs – in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore and New Delhi. Discover more at www.sebgroup.com/asia

Jon

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Katarina NilssonChairman

Swedish Chamber ofCommerce in China

Ulf OhrlingChairman

Swedish Chamber ofCommerce in Hong Kong

4 DRAGONNEWS • NO.02/2013

More than half of top executive positions in China are held by women, compared with

only 27 per cent in Sweden. Why is it that Sweden, renowned for equality between

genders, is not ranked higher? asks consultant Eva Henriksson.

TEXT: Eva Henriksson, [email protected]

recent survey by the UK-based accounting firm Grant Thorn-ton International reveals that mainland Chinese women top

the world in terms of holding senior business management roles. In fact, women hold more than half (51 per cent) of the senior manage-ment roles in Chinese companies.

Both China and Hong Kong – ranked sixth at 30 per cent – were ahead of the global average of 24 per cent, and also ranked far above the US at 20 per cent, Britain at 19 per cent and Japan at just 7 per cent.

Sweden was ranked at 22nd place (of 44) with 27 per cent of women in senior manage-rial positions, which came as a surprise given that Sweden is considered one of the most gender-equal countries in the world.

How can we explain this phenomenon? There are many angles to the problem, but let us look at the most obvious ones.

First of all, I don’t believe in special treat-ment for women or the use of “gender quotas” to get women into the boardrooms. The inclu-sion of women should always be on the basis of “best fit,” and nothing else. It is easy to fall back on being a so-called “rödstrumpa” (“barricade feminist” in Swedish) but I refuse to do that. To blame men for only choosing other men for important positions is not good enough.

There are, after all, factors that we need to consider, such as one I have myself contemplat-ing on occasion, and that is “other women”. My experience of Sweden is that women don’t always allow other women to be more success-ful than they are. Our “law of Jante” – Scandi-navian community “polic-ing” of individual success – makes women with ambition suspect. “Who do you think you are?” and “What makes you better than me?” other women ask, while also indulg-ing in the backstabbing we have all witnessed in certain workplaces.

The “cleverness syndrome” also plays an important role in holding women back. The “cleverness syndrome” is about having to be better than everybody else, having to work harder, faster and better than anyone else – in the whole world.

Add to this the common situation in which women are busy with a number of things at the same time, including household chores, and you have a recipe for failure. In Sweden, it is generally regarded as not good to have someone helping you out with the household, so you need to do it yourself or risk of being viewed as lazy, someone who has other people do your “dirty work”. As a result, many women end up run-down and unwilling to take on more

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responsibilities, sometimes because they feel guilty about not doing enough both at home and in the workplace. They wear themselves down to prove that they are the best.

Another factor in who gets senior man-agement positions is that men and women – even those who have the same educational background – often differ in terms of problem solving and decision making. The issue is not that one gender is better at either than the other, but they are different. In general, women have different networks than men do, and they process things differently.

Many men see women as unstructured in the way they speak or discuss things, as they often see questions from multiple per-spectives and want to ensure all angles are covered before they make a decision. Men sometimes perceive this as a weakness, but ultimately men

and women often make the same conclusions and decisions; it is only the process that differs.

Increasingly, companies are becoming aware of the benefits and the importance of diversity in management, and with that they are also becoming aware that different ways of processing decisions can be of benefit for the company. But still Sweden is lagging in terms of managerial gender equality.

Why is it easier for so many women in China to achieve high positions? To un-derstand this, we need to understand some underlying causes. China’s development in the past 12 years I have been working here has been tremendous. If people do their jobs well, they get promoted regardless of whether

Swedish women can learn from their Chinese counterparts

they’re male or female. In its rush to the future, China has no time to be picky about gender – or even to discuss the matter.

China is a huge marketplace, and in a mar-ketplace you need people who understand the economy and figures, trade, imports, exports, and to put it simply, how to do business. With more Chinese women than men studying sub-jects such as economics and trade, for example, and men studying more technical subjects and becoming technicians, engineers, taking sales jobs and running the factories, women are increasingly taking care of planning, human resources, strategy and the money. It is not sur-prising that they also end up among the senior executives or in the boardroom.

A further point is that Asians in general accept hierarchies. For this reason, women in high positions are not questioned in the same way they are in Sweden. To be sure, question-ing takes place – just as backstabbing takes place – but the hierarchy is fully accepted, and in most cases gratefully because it means somebody else has the burden of responsibility.

At this point, we might ask what can be done to change Sweden’s gender inequality at an executive level. It is a worthwhile ques-tion, but I think it is a question that Swedish women need to ask themselves.

It is clear that there are some masculine at-tributes that Swedish women need to embrace if things are going to change, and chief among these are competition, tactics, strategy and how to “play the game”. I am not arguing we need to act like men to be successful, but we also should not underestimate so-called masculine attributes. I think Chinese women understand this game, and it is clear that Swedish women can learn something from them … bPH

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51%Every second senior business manager in China is a woman.

Eva Henriksson has been living in China and Hong Kong for 12 years and, since 2005, she has been running a consultancy focusing on organisational development. She has helped many companies recruit for important positions all over China, in South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Her company’s leadership programmes have been very well received throughout Asia, as have the cross-culture workshops she runs for multinational companies together with her partner. Henriksson also manages the Nordic SME Networking Group in Hong Kong and is a director of the board of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.

My experience of Sweden is that women don’t always allow other

women to be more successful than they are.”


“Every local government [in China] wants to have its own steel facto-ries and all the major industries in its locality. And it doesn’t really see what is in it for me if I help the cen-tral government deal with overca-pacity problems. The reason they like having them is, of course, the investment, jobs, and fiscal revenue – all of the economic goodies.” Louis Kuijs, chief China economist at the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in Hong Kong to Bloomberg Businessweek

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rise of the robotsn With rising labour costs in China, more and more manu-facturers are replacing workers with robots. By 2014, China will surpass other countries to become the top market for robots worldwide, according to the International Federa-tion of Robotics, reports the South China Morning Post.

In 2011, global sales of robots amounted to 165,000, an increase of 37 per cent compared to 2010. Sales in China doubled to reach 22,600.

“China … is increasingly facing low-cost compe-tition, and as Chinese employment costs rise we can expect more use of robotics to maintain com-petitiveness,” said the federation in a recent report.

The Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn, which is producing iPhones and iPads for Apple, declared in 2011 that it will put one million robots in place in its factories within a three-year period. Foxconn has experienced a string of suicides of workers because of their stressful jobs.

Find out more at: ericsson.com/networkedsociety

When one person connects, their life changes.With everything connected, our world changes.

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Ericsson_Wired_February_final210X286.ai 1 3/7/13 4:36 PM

did you know …n … that the rate of worker deaths in China’s safety-regulated industries is, on average, five

times greater at companies that have at least one executive who has previously held a high-level gov-

ernment post than at similar companies that lack political connections.At least, that is the conclusion from a Harvard Business Review survey

that demonstrates a strong link between worker deaths from accidents and the political connectedness of corporate executives. The survey inves-tigated annual fatalities between 2008 and 2011 in 276 companies within the petroleum and gas, mining, chemical and construction industries.

Seven strategic industries pinpointedn The central government in Beijing has clearly pinpointed stra-tegic areas of growth through the selection of seven strategic emerging industries to be the focus of capital investment and favourable policies. The aim is for these to account for 8 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) by 2015.

The seven strategic emerging industries are biotechnology, new energy, high-end equipment manufacturing, energy conser-vation and environmental protection, clean-energy vehicles, new materials and next-generation IT.

According to China’s minister of science and technology, Wan Gang, the concept for developing these emerging industries is to enable Chinese enterprises to compete in high-end value-added industries at a global level.

The government will use preferential tax, fiscal and procure-ment policies to develop these industries.

Overcapacity may cause a financial crisisn China faces an urgent need to cope with overcapacity in the coming years, or bankruptcy, debt and unemployment may cause a financial crisis, according to Chen Letian, chief macroeconomic analyst with Rising Securities.

He says in an article in the China Securities Journal that China’s process of gradually eliminating excessive production capacity in over-supplied sectors may take until 2016, reports Xinhua news agency.

“Overcapacity problems intensified following over-investment in 2009, and it will be seven years from that point before the exces-sive production is eased,” Chen wrote.

“Had it not been for the massive expansion in industrial capacity amid massive stimulus in 2009, China’s current round of production capacity would likely be reduced to normal levels in 2013,” he wrote.

Overcapacity is a problem for several sectors, including the steel industry and the emerging solar and wind industries.

Chen suggests that some of the excess capacity could be absorbed through mergers and reorganisation, improving companies’ capacity for innovation and encouraging Chinese businesses to expand overseas.

looking for electronic championsn China wants five to eight electronics companies to have turnover of at least 100 billion yuan (US$16 billion) by 2015.

As of 2011, China had only two companies that hit that mark – telecommunications equipment maker Huawei and the personal computer maker Lenovo. Other local electronics makers, such as ZTE and TCL, have struggled to over-come weak global demand and technological barriers.

Home appliance maker Haier could probably also make the list in 2015. Haier, which is one of China’s largest electronics companies, has recently acquired Fisher & Paykel of New Zealand for more than US$700 million to gain greater access to key technology and a wider footprint in Australia and Europe.


fter having been appointed party secretary and head of China’s military in November last year, Xi Jinping made a trip

one month later to Shenzhen in southern China, replicating the famous southern tour of Guangdong that the then paramount leader Deng Xiaoping made exactly 30 years earlier. That was the trip that reinvigorated the country’s economic reform agenda.

In Shenzhen, while paying tribute to a bronze statue of Deng, Xi stressed the need for economic reforms in China.

In March this year, Xi became presi-dent, fully taking charge of all three poles of Chinese power: the party, the state, and the military.

In a short space of time, Xi has clearly shown that he will be a different type of leader than his predecessor, the more consensus-minded Hu Jintao. Observers have already started to speculate if Xi could be the reformer China might very well need.

Xi was quick to publicly state that cor-ruption in the government will no longer be tolerated – even if the main reason seems to be concern that widespread corruption threatens the power of the Communist Party. He has also banned excesses in official banquets and put restrictions on the use of luxury cars by military personnel.

The new premier, Li Keqiang, who is in charge of the nation’s economy, is known to have voiced support for economic reforms.

Whether it means that the Xi-Li leader-ship soon will implement necessary far-reaching reforms to vitalise and consolidate the Chinese industry remains, however, to be seen.

Since 1978, when the reform era started, China’s per capita annual income has grown from RMB1,400 to more than RMB37,000, and 600 million people have been lifted out of poverty. It is a fantastic achievement that has no comparison in modern history.

But it is also a fact that China needs to repair the economic model that has been so successful for the past two decades that China has been dubbed “the factory of the world”.

Li Keqiang’s predecessor, Wen Jiabao, made that clear as early as 2007 in a speech at the National People’s Congress, when he cautioned that, “the biggest problem with China’s economy is that the growth is unstable, unbalanced, uncoordi-nated and unsustainable.”

In recent years, there has been plenty of

talk about reforms in China, but for various reasons most of them have been postponed, with a few exemptions such as the on-going healthcare sector reform.

There are huge problems for the domes-tic Chinese industry to cope with. Due to the three-decade long one-child policy, the workforce is both ageing and shrinking. At the same time, wages are increasing, making Chinese enterprises less competitive. Many multinational companies have already moved out of China and found less expensive sup-pliers in Bangladesh and Vietnam.

Meanwhile, most of the Chinese factories are still inefficient and dirty. The environmental problems are huge. A World Bank study has shown that the total cost of air and water pollution in China is about 5.8 per cent of China’s annual gross domestic product (GDP), yet coal use in China has tripled over the past decade.

Most of the industries are not consoli-dated, and almost every sector has a problem with overcapacity.

“China is one of the very few non-consolidated big industrial markets,” says SKF China’s president Erik Nelander, who foresees a huge number of mergers and acquisitions in the coming years (see also Executive talk, page 20).

“Yet, we haven’t really seen that devel-

opment. The state-owned enterprises have their own agenda, while many privately owned companies have for a number of years had comfort in seeing the market grow with 15 per cent per year without having to do so much. Many private companies are also still run by the origi-nal founders and haven’t carried out the

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The malady that China has to cure

China’s industry has overcapacity in almost every sector and average productivity is very low. Swedish companies have great opportunities to help China’s industry to become more efficient.TExT: Jan Hökerberg, Bamboo, [email protected]

The overall theme for this year’s cover stories in Dragon News is the four new modernisa-tions launched in November 2012 by China’s then premier-in-waiting, Li Keqiang. Li an-nounced the party’s four new modernisation goals highlighting Beijing’s push in the areas of information technology (IT), industrialisa-tion, urbanisation and agriculture.

In China, the so-called four modernisations were first used by former premier Zhou Enlai in 1963 to strengthen the fields of agricul-ture, industry, national defence and science and technology.

And in December 1978, at the Third Plenum of the 11th Central Committee, paramount leader Deng Xiaoping announced an official re-launch of the four modernisations, marking the beginning of the reform era.

In this year’s second issue, Dragon News will look into China’s industrial development and how Swedish companies can help China’s industry become more efficient.

Four new modernisations (2)

Cleanergy, a Swedish solar power company, is launching a system for solar parks in China

that could be a solution that China needs. Here, they have installed 10 parabolic dishes in a

demonstration plant in Inner Mongolia.

10 DRAGONNEWS • NO.02/2013 DRAGONNEWS • NO.02/2013 11

necessary generation shift,” says Nelander.“Overcapacity is a disease in almost all in-

dustries in China today. It is like Europe in the 1950s. There are simply too many companies in every industry,” says Jonas Alsén, who has al-most 20 years of experience of living and work-ing in China, after starting Nefab in China and building the Swedish company Elektroskandia’s business in China into a billion-yuan company. As Elektroskandia’s managing director he also drove consolidation in the electrical wholesale industry by acquiring several Chinese wholesal-ers. Today, Alsén is focused on launching the Swedish-Swiss clean-tech company United Wa-ters’ biological water purification plant systems in Chinese rural areas.

On the flatlands outside the city of Ordos in Inner Mongolia province, 10 big parabolic dishes installed with Stirling engines are generating solar thermal power. It is the first facility of its kind in China – in all of Asia – and was built by a young Swedish company called Cleanergy.

“It is a demonstration plant where we can show our potential partners in China all the benefits of our Stirling dish technology,” says Magnus Lindvall, senior vice president at Cleanergy Greater China.

Each dish consists of a 55-square-metre parabolic mirror that follows the sun, col-lects sunlight and focuses it. The Stirling engine, which is mounted on the dish, runs the dish and a generator that produces the electricity.

Invented as early as in 1816, the Stirling engine has been developed and tested in multiple applications, including agricultural equipment, radio transceivers, mining equipment, submarines and stationary power production. For example, the Swedish shipyard Kockums, now owned by Thyssen-Krupp of Germany, built submarines based on the Stirling engine.

Cleanergy was founded in 2008, when a group of Swedish investors acquired all rights of the V161 Stirling engine from Solo Kleinmotoren of Germany. All product, sales and manufacturing related assets were

transferred to the new company. The modularity in the Stirling dish tech-

nology makes a solar park less complicated and less risky than other more conventional concentrated solar power (CSP) technolo-gies. Should one unit malfunction and need service, the rest of the park remains unaf-fected and productive.

“The modularity, in combination with non-existing water consumption for power production, along with the fact that it’s possible to use uneven land, and its supe-rior power output efficiency are the main advantages of using the Stirling dish units for mega solar parks. Besides, with our technology there are no processes that affect the environment,” says Lindvall.

Cleanergy established itself in China two years ago, and the facility in Inner Mongolia has been acquired by a Chinese entrepreneur in partnership with some of his customers.

Cleanergy is now in discussion with a number of China’s “big five” national utili-ties – China Huaneng, China Datang, China Huadian, China Power Investment Corpora-tion and China Guodian – about building solar parks in the nation. At the end of May, Cleanergy signed a Memorandum of Under-standing with the Huadian Group, for the in-stallation of a 50 MW solar plant in Western China based on the Stirling technology.

Looking for sunshine in ChinaSolar thermal power, based on an old engine with roots in the 19th century, could be a Swedish solution for China in its efforts to boost green energy.

Our technology is much more efficient than

conventional photovoltaic (PV) solar projects.”Magnus Lindvall, Cleanergy

Last year, China installed five gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity and it hopes to have 21 GW installed by 2015. Most of that ca-pacity will probably consist of photovoltaic (PV) solar power, which uses solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity, given that hundreds of domestic manufacturers make PV panels. But Lindvall hopes for a break-through for the Stirling dish technology:

“Our technology is much more efficient than conventional photovoltaic (PV) solar projects. We can convert 25 per cent of the collected sunlight into electricity, while PV technology can only convert some 14 per cent,” he says.

Cleanergy is aiming to find a partner in Chi-na that can build large solar parks based on the Stirling dish technology, financing a large-scale industrialisation of the engines and the complete system. The engines are manufactured in a factory in Åmål, Swe-den, while the parabolic dishes, used in the demonstration plant, are all locally made.

“If we can reach high volume of the engine production, then our technology will be a much less expensive alternative to PV. We know that the leading state-owned power companies are very interested in de-veloping technologies that can give these utilities good technological advantages,” says Lindvall.

Besides Inner Mongolia, there are many other Chinese provinces that provide the conditions for solar power; for example in Ningxia, Gansu, Tibet (Xizang) and Xinjiang.

For as long as the sun shines over China, there should be good opportunities for companies such as Cleanergy to modernise the country’s industry.

“In China, it seems like every province has to have its own manufacturer of refrig-erators, DVD players, TV sets, etc. These industries will be consolidated and we have only seen the beginning. Many of these companies will be acquired when market forces decide, even if this development will

take longer in a centrally controlled economy such as China’s,” Alsén says.

After decades of rapid growth it is also difficult for most Chinese to think in economic cycles. Most of them have only seen curves that equate to growth.

“The need to restructure is a new thing in Chinese culture,” says Stefan Ekqvist, presi-dent of Nefab Asia-Pacific (see separate article). “Companies still tend to think that the only solution in a downturn is to increase the vol-ume. That is why we have all this overcapacity. It is difficult for them to let people go, since it is a sign of failure for the company. China has been so successful over the past two decades

China is one of the very few non-consolidated big industrial markets.”

Erik Nelander, SKF China


that they have never really experienced cycles in the economy.”

Ekqvist compares how Western com-panies react when business slows down: “Take the pulp and paper industry as an example,” he says. “When the market is down, companies in Europe know they have to restructure and shut down mills, otherwise the prices of pulp will fall. And when they do these things, then the stock market price often goes up since analysts believe it is good for the company on a long-term basis. Today, I don’t think China has the ability to do this type of restructur-ing, but once they begin to understand, it can unfold very rapidly.”

China’s state-owned banks tend to prefer to lend to state-owned enterprises that also often have access to cheap land and energy, instead of financing millions of job-creating private companies. As a conse-

quence, many private entrepreneurs have to rely on unofficial moneylenders, or in other words loan sharks, for their financing.

Revenue at state-owned companies has risen from around 40 per cent of the over-all economy five years ago to more than 50 per cent today, according to estimates by the financial advisory firm Primavera Capital Group.

Productivity is an important factor in economic growth. While it is true that China has succeeded in creating indig-enous national champions in a number of high-technology industries, China still has a long way to go in terms of improving productivity.

“China’s labour productivity has im-proved a lot over the past decade, but it is still far behind the productivity perform-ance of developed economies. Indeed, after some 30 years of economic reform, China’s labour productivity is still behind countries

such as Thailand, Colombia and Morocco,” said the professional services consul-tancy Ernst & Young in a recent report on China’s productivity imperative.

China’s remarkable economic growth has led to the creation of many giant corporations. In 2012, China (including Hong Kong) had 73 entries in the business magazine Fortune’s annual ranking of the world’s 500 largest companies. Ten year earlier there were only 11 Chinese compa-nies on the Fortune Global 500.

The state-owned energy titans Sinopec, China National Petroleum Corporation (PetroChina) and State Grid are ranked at the fifth, sixth and seventh places. Most of the Chinese corporations on the list are state-owned enterprises in the fields of commodities and infrastructure, as well as banking, insurance, telecommunications and automobiles.

Nefab is a Swedish industrial trans-port packaging specialist that delivers complete packaging solutions to global industrial groups, especially within the telecommunications, energy, health-care, automotive and other manufactur-ing industries.

Nefab established itself in China in 1997 through a wholly owned company and a factory in Wuxi. Today, the company also has facilities in Langfang, Dongguan, Wuhan, Chengdu, Shenyang, Nanjing and Shenzhen, plus a number of sales opera-tions throughout Greater China.

Helping its clients to be more efficientNefab is a Swedish company that delivers complete pack-aging solutions to lower the clients’ total costs.

We act as a one-stop-shop for

our clients.” Stefan Ekqvist, Nefab

tional manufacturing companies.“Our business model means reducing

the costs for the customer when it comes to packaging and logistics. We want to lower the client’s total costs – for example by redesigning the packag-

ing solution so that it is possible to put more

products in a con-tainer or make the

product lighter to be sent by air. We act as a one-stop-shop for our clients overseeing

just-in-time deliveries,

store-keeping, etc,” says Stefan Ekqvist, Nefab Asia-

Pacific president.

The company has always been able to wholly own its facilities in China since it was not necessary to form a joint venture – which was not the case for several of its multinational clients.

In contrary to many of the other 35 coun-tries around the world where Nefab is present and growing its business, the company has so far only expanded organically in China, where it has around 800 employees and a turnover of some RMB700 million.

Nefab is a good exam-ple of a company that helps its customers be more efficient and cost-effective. Most of its clients in China are foreign-owned multina-


Over the past decade, China has ag-gressively tried to build national champi-ons, or globally competitive multination-als, in different industries. The role of these national champions is to ensure that more profits stay in China and that Chinese growth does not rely too much on foreign-owned multinational companies. The companies are also encouraged to go global to secure supplies of natural resources and acquire know-how and access to new technologies.

These national champions are provided with generous credit facilities, such as soft loans and funding for research and devel-opment (R&D) from both national and local governments.

“The main issue with the national champions in China is that it is the state, not the market, that picks the winners. If these national champions are to compete globally they need to learn how to compete in a free market”, says Christer Ljungwall, science councillor and head of the science and innovation office at the Swedish Agen-cy of Growth Policy Analysis in Beijing.

China has around 110,000 state-owned enterprises, of which some 120 are considered central – governed directly by the central government. The government’s goal is to reduce the huge number of state-owned companies through mergers and acquisitions and create a smaller group of large conglomerates.

China is looking to the models provided by its neighbouring countries Japan and South Korea, which built large domestic industrial conglomerates called keiretsu in Japan and chaebol in South Korea.

But China lacks companies such as Toyota or Hyundai, which have been able to drive their development through innova-tion in close cooperation with suppliers. In China, it is not the big state-owned enter-prises that are leading development. Rather, technological innovation is taking place at smaller privately owned companies.

Most Chinese suppliers deliver parts to many different companies in various industries, not just to one major client in one particular industry.

As The Economist notes, “In Japan and South Korea, the leading companies took an intimate interest in every stage of a product’s birth: conceiving it, procuring the materials, fashioning the parts, assembling them and marketing the result. This chain of production was contained within a fam-

ily of firms, led by a national champion.”Ljungwall of Growth Analysis points

out that Japan in the 1960s and 1970s had a similar concept for national champions as China has today: “However, it didn’t work out well when it was only the government that should decide who should get the funds. So the government let the compa-nies compete instead, saying that only the best companies should get the most fund-ing. As a result, the Japanese companies got the right incentive to become best in class and even best in the world,” he says.

In order to create national and globally competitive champions, China also has to perform a balancing act to comply with regulations established by the World Trade Organisation (WTO). For example, the WTO prohibits direct export subsidies,

but the US has claimed that China violates the rules providing unfair advantages to its automotive companies. Recently, the European Union (EU) has announced plans to investigate alleged anti-competitive behaviour by Chinese mobile telecom equipment makers and to impose punitive import duties on solar panels from China.

The solar panel industry is probably the most extreme example of overcapac-ity in China. Over the past five years, the demand for solar panels soared rapidly and Chinese companies could capture two thirds of the global market. More than 400 Chinese photovoltaic (PV) companies have competed to get a share of the market, which created an oversupply that flooded the US and Europe with cheap solar panels, priced far below their real value.

“There is such big competition in solar

The overcapacity is a disease in almost all industries in

China today.”Jonas Alsén, United Waters International


power in China, with all these domestic manufacturers that can supply cheap solar panels. However, we have a different and more cost-efficient type of technology,” says Magnus Lindvall, senior vice president at Cleanergy Greater China, a company that is launching a system with a Stirling engine mounted on a parabolic mirror dish for solar parks in China (see separate article).

It could have a great future since the government is promoting the construction of solar power plants in China as part of its efforts to reduce its dependency on coal-powered plants.

But to shut down a dirty coalmine is a relatively easy task compared with con-solidating an entire industry. For decades, for example, China has tried to reduce the number of domestic automobile compa-nies from around 80 to a dozen without any success.

In China, the main resistance comes from local governments that rely on tax income and different types of fees from en-terprises within their jurisdictions to build infrastructure and develop the county or the province.

The steel industry is another example. Central planners at the National Develop-ment and Reform Commission (NDRC) want to consolidate the steel industry to manage energy consumption and create national champions that can better com-pete abroad. A plan was announced in 2001, but the number of steel companies actually doubled between 2002 and 2006 as firms saw profits rise and piled in. From 3,000 ferrous metals firms at the start of the decade, there were 8,000 by 2010 and currently there are around 11,000, according to analysis by the Peterson Institute for Interna-tional Economics in Washington DC.

However, on 22 January this year, a policy guidance circular for consolidating nine key industries was issued by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). The nine sectors are automotive, steel, cement, shipbuilding, electrolytic aluminium, rare earths, elec-tronics and information, pharmaceuticals and agriculture.

Specific objectives and targets, to be reached in 2015, have been set up for each of the nine industries.

For example, in the automotive industry, the goal is to concentrate 90 per cent of the production in the hands of the top 10 companies and to cultivate three to five major automobile corporations with core competency. Large automobile corporations will be supported to extend their business into service areas that

include R&D, modern logistics, auto-mobile finance and information services. Furthermore, cross-border mergers and acquisitions are planned, along with the development of global production and service networks.

The circular sets up similar objectives for the other eight industries.

Nelander of SKF, a company that delivers ball-bearing solutions to the automotive industry worldwide, clearly sees that Chinese automakers are not yet at the technological forefront, despite the fact that China has the biggest automotive industry in the world,

“SKF’s share of supplies to the automo-tive industry is lower in China than in other parts of the world. It has not been until the

past couple of years that China’s automo-tive industry has started to upgrade its technology,” he says.

“There is over-capacity in so many sectors – for example in the automotive

industry,” says Ekqvist of Nefab. “For example, demand for trucks has been strong but when demand weakens there is automatically overcapacity. Then, they have to look at exports, but most of the truck-makers are not prepared for that.”

Ljungwall believes that the Chinese government is aware of the problems and will try to find solutions for many industries. “If the reforms are going to be successful, I would rather see the state al-low the market to play freely, which means allowing some companies to go bankrupt and others to carry out domestic and inter-national mergers and acquisitions,” he says.

China is a country of paradoxes. While developed countries have slowly moved from one phase to another in their

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economic and industrial development, China has skipped many of those phases in its rapid development. The majority of the labour-intensive companies that helped to make China “the factory of the world” are still there. Many of them, however, are poorly run and have low productivity. At the same time, China is racing up the value chain trying to link research institutes together with inno-vative enterprises by creating different types of clusters, such as the technology hub Zhongguancun, which is known as “China’s Silicon Valley”, in Beijing.

“China is at a crossroads and has to decide to carry out a number of reforms. This creates opportunities for Swedish com-panies in many industries to help out by offering efficient solutions,” says Ljungwall.

Alsén of United Waters International agrees: “China is curious about new tech-nology and they are eager to get it. But today, foreign-owned companies that enter China need to have staying power. I would not recommend that smaller companies – with, say, just 15 to 20 employees – enter China alone, even if they have a good

[Chinese] companies still tend to think that the only

solution in a downturn is to increase the volume.” Stefan Ekqvist, Nefab Asia-Pacific

technology or business concept. The risk is that they will never make it if they don’t have the right financial backing,” he says.

Today, Chinese wages are five times what they were in 2000, and they are ex-pected to keep rising rapidly. When salaries go up, a wave of automation usually follows.

So far, China has not travelled very far down the automation path, even if ABB and other companies are actively delivering robots to manufacturers in various fields.

“Most of the time, when a Western company introduces a new technology in

China, it will lead to more automation, more modernisation, for China’s industry,” says Ekqvist. “We have seen that happen since the late 1990s in China. It will also lead to more regulations in the workplace, as well as a better working environment and better safety protection. It all comes as part of the package.”

That’s a way of saying that for president Xi Jinping and premier Li Keqiang the future holds many challenges if China’s industries are to become competitive – not only on a local level, but also on a national and a global level. b

If the reforms are going to be successful, I would rather

see the state allow the market to play freely.” Christer Ljungwall, Growth Analysis

11,000The number of ferrous metal firms

today in China compared with 3,000 at the turn of the new millennium.


as well as an expansion of a global technical centre, which includes product development, engineering services, global metallurgy and chemistry labs, manufacturing process devel-opment, testing and product investigation.

“It is only a matter of time before China becomes our single biggest market, which is natural because of the country’s size and growth. But China should also be our best market. Therefore, it is very important for the company to provide China with R&D so that the China organisation can create the best solutions for our customers,” he says.

Nelander was born in 1963 in Kalmar, south-eastern Swe-den, where he also grew up. In 1987, when he was in his 20s and studying at Gothenburg University’s School of Business, Economics and Law, he decided a take a break when an opportunity came up to work for SKF in South America.

“I have always been interested in working internationally to experience new cultures and it was a great chance to spend a year at SKF’s financial departments in Chile, Peru and Brazil,” he says.

the summer of 2010, Erik Nelander started his job as president of SKF China and ob-viously he visited the Shanghai

World Expo that was inaugurated in May that year. Among the pavilions he visited was an attractive cities pavilion on the Puxi side of the Huangpu River.

Today, almost three years later, Nelander is back in that same building, as it became the new SKF China headquarters in Decem-ber 2012.

“I had no idea at that time that we would move here later. It just happened when our lease at Beijing Lu was terminated and we started looking for our own building where we could create our own interior solutions including an exhibition area,” says Nelander.

Headquartered in Gothenburg in Swe-den, SKF is one of the world’s largest ball-bearing makers, with representation in some 130 countries. The group employs 6,500 people in China, 550 of them in the new head office. China is one of the company’s leading markets.

“We’ve seen tremendous development in China over the past 20 years and have opened about one new factory every year. In total we have 18 factories in China, and three are joint ventures,” says Nelander.

In 2012, SKF celebrated its 100th an-niversary in China. In conjunction with the anniversary, SKF announced a SEK700 million (CNY643 million) investment in Jiading, close to Shanghai, that includes a new automotive factory for wheel bearings, the SKF College for training staff and customers,

In

He went back to the university and after graduating he returned to SKF. In the early 1990s, he was back in Latin America as a con-troller at SKF’s offices in Brazil and Mexico.

After a number of management positions, including head of SKF Mekan in the Swedish town of Katrineholm, head of SKF Sweden and head of a business unit for aerospace and super-precision bearings, he was made presi-

dent of SKF China in July 2010 and moved to Shanghai together with his wife Anette, their two daughters, who are now 19 and 16, and a son who is 10.

“It was a challenge to move out from the ‘comfort zone’. Some of the family were not that happy about moving to another

country, but everything has worked fine here. Now that we’ve decided we’ll move back to Sweden in the summer, they all want to stay,” says Nelander, who cannot reveal what his next job will be other than to say that he has a “new challenge in the pipeline”.

The family stays in an apartment on Huaihai Lu, close to Hunan Lu, which is right in the middle of the city.

“I got a Chinese driving license when we

SKF has seen tremendous development in China over the past 20 years, opening around one new factory every year. SKF China’s president, Erik Nelander, believes that China soon will become not only the company’s biggest market, but ‘also be our best market.’ TExT: Jan Hökerberg, Bamboo, [email protected] PHOTO: SKF China

aiming to make China SKF’s best market

101The number of years SKF has been repre-

sented in China.

… receiving the prestigious Magnolia Award by the Shanghai municipal government for his significant contribution to Shang-hai’s social and economic development: “This award does not reflect so much on me personally, as it does on the long relation-ship SKF has been building with Shanghai over many years.”… the Chinese term guanxi, used to describe relationships: “Guanxi is something that is used everywhere. In other parts of the world, we call it business relations. The important thing is that customers feel that they get value for what we deliver to them. If don’t, then they will stop buying from us.”… the slowdown in the Chinese economy over the past two years: “The government has deliberately tried to cool down the economy, which many of our Chinese colleagues are not used to since they have only experienced double-digit growth. But in Europe we call it a business cycle. In a downturn, you need to put on the brakes short-term and keep an eye on costs and margins while also building for the future and being ready for the return of good times. It’s like an Asian sweet and sour dish; you need both ingredients to get the right balance.”

Erik Nelander about …

came here, but I have never driven. Privately, I use the bicycle instead, it is much faster,” he says.

He has taken Chinese language lessons since arriving in China and continues to even though he has just a few months left in the country.

“A common mistake that many make when they move abroad is to set a mental end date for their stay. Instead, you should think that this is a job in which you will stay for 10 years or more. That way you learn the language, buy new furniture, etc. If you have a mental deadline there is a risk that you start thinking of your next step in life too early.”

Nelander describes himself as a typical Scandinavian leader who is open, can listen and works hard internally to get the right at-titudes and direction in the organisation.

He also emphasises transfer of knowl-edge. When he came to China, there were 25 expatriates in SKF China, now they are 70. However, three years ago, most of the expatriates held positions as business leaders in the organisation. Today, the managers are mainly Chinese and the expatriates are mainly specialists who have been brought in for sharing knowledge.

Nelander’s successor as president for SKF China will be a Chinese national, Zhu Jiming, who has experience working in multinational companies such as Alcoa and Caterpillar.

“I am now seeing, for the first time, Chinese specialists and managers being sent to other markets for knowledge-sharing,” says Nelander. “An important part of my job here is to ensure that SKF China, led by locals, is an integral part of the global SKF sphere.” b

A common mistake that many make when they move abroad is

to set a mental end date for their stay.”


Already recognised as an innovative fashion brand in Europe, the House of Dagmar –

founded by three Swedish sisters – is now establishing its brand, Dagmar, in Asia.

TExT: Elin Bornefalk, [email protected]

he modern fashion industry is incredibly competitive, and Swedish designers face many challenges and obstacles. But

House of Dagmar is an emerging brand that has managed to stand out from the crowd.

The fashion company was founded by three Swedish sisters, Kristina Tjäder, Karin Söderlind and Sofia Wallenstam. It is a young company that has been making its mark on the fashion scene in Stockholm since 2005. The sister trio named the brand after their original muse – their grandmother, Dagmar, who introduced them to style and fashion.

Today, Dagmar´s unconventional and sophisticated style has been widely recognised by the fashion industry, as well as in media, throughout Europe and the US, and the sisters have received several prestigious awards. How did they do it?

“Starting an own label was something that grew gradually over years. My sisters and I used to be colleagues at the clothing retailer H&M,

T

Fashion

The house that three

sisters built

Ever since we were young we’ve had dreams of starting our own brand.”

The three sisters behind the House of Dagmar. From left: Kristina Tjäder, Sofia Wallenstam and Karin Söderlind.


and ever since we were young we’ve had dreams of starting our own brand,” says Kristina Tjäder, the company’s creative director.

Tjäder points to the importance of schooling and getting the right experience and knowledge through training and working at a bigger company. In her case, she received an education from École Superieur de la Mode (ESMOD) in Paris, and worked under the French fashion designer Christian Lacroix and at H&M.

“What really inspires me is having the opportunity to go through the entire creative process and arrive at a final product,” says Tjäder. She also admits that she enjoys the business aspect of sharing a company: “When you have an own business you are not only the creative director; you have to be a business-woman as well.”

People often ask what it is like working together as three sisters and whether there are any issues when you mix family and business. Tjäder responds it can be perfect or it can be a catastrophe, but fortunately, in their case, it has worked amazingly well. Each of the sisters has very defined roles and strong backgrounds in their fields, and they respect each other’s expertise. One of the biggest benefits, she says,

is that they know each other so well it is easy to take fast decisions.

“I trust my sisters better than anyone else. We don’t have to be too politically correct with each other,” she says.

House of Dagmar’s design caters to the modern, unconventional and strong styl-ish woman who lives in a metropolis such as Hong Kong, New York or Stockholm. According to Tjäder, they have customers of every age, and Dagmar speaks to every generation of strong women who believe in having their own style.

“The future holds even more successful strong wom-en who are building their careers and are capable of combining work with family life,” says Tjäder, who underlines that – particularly in Asia – she has met many strong and career-driven women who are determined to get where they want and realise their dreams and goals.

House of Dagmar’s aim is not to create trends or follow the latest fashion hysteria. The sisters get inspiration from global trends, creating garments and functional clothes that are timeless but still modern.

“We always try to have a long-term per-spective, and that is something that we have done from the start,” says Tjäder, who adds that consumers today are more aware and are buying quality, a phenomenon that she thinks is here to stay. Sustainability and quality have always been a natural part of Dagmar´s values.

The sisters’ inspirational grandmother came from a less than wealthy background and always knew where to find quality, which doesn’t necessarily mean most expensive.

In Asia, Tjäder says that she can see a growing trend in the demand for sustainable products: “Today, fashion is more of a lifestyle than about trends.”

Establishing the label in Asia is something

that Tjäder believes will bring both excit-ing opportunities as well as challenges. She explains that their strategy is to get the label established in more image-emphasised stores as a first step, and when the brand is estab-lished among the customers they will also sell to other stores in the region.

“Metropolitans like Hongkongers are often intrigued by Scandinavian design and fashion, so there is definitely a market here,” says Tjäder. “However, establishing a brand in a new market is not something that needs to be rushed. It takes time to get to know the market and to be fully committed to your strategy, as well as the long-term goals.”

Tjäder describes her design as one that transcends Swedish design, while at the same time providing a more international look. As

she was educated in Paris, she has a more international way of thinking and approach to design. All the same, the Dagmar brand does have strong Swedish influences in its functional garments, and Tjäder agrees that she is

proud of the company’s Swedish roots and is keen to integrate it into the international scene. A positive aspect of being a Swedish label is Sweden’s strong international image as a centre for design, which helps emerging Swedish brands establish a foothold on global markets.

The next step is to create a web shop for the House of Dagmar, as well as to continue to expand in Asia.

“Always find possibilities in any obstacle,” the sisters say, quoting the words of their inspirational grandmother. b

2005The year when the Dagmar

brand was launched.

Launched: In the spring of 2005.Turnover: SEK 40 million.Number of employees: 12.Markets: Mainly Europe. Entry port to Asia: Hong Kong, where the brand is available at Vein in Lee Gardens Two (also available in Hong Kong and China at the online site Net-A-Porter).Awards: Several, among them winner of Guldknappen, Scandinavia’s most prestigious design award, in 2011.

Facts about Dagmar

• Team up with the right people and people that you can trust.

• Get a good education within your field.• Be stubborn and never give up. • Have fun along the way.

Tjäder’s tips to start-up companies

Today, fashion is more of a lifestyle than about trends.”

“I trust my sisters better than anyone else,” says Kristina Tjäder.

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Back in 1996, when mobile phones were the size of bricks; before tablets, before 3G, before Google even, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates wrote an article in which he foresaw the importance of content on the Internet.

“Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet, just as it was in broadcasting … Those who succeed will propel the Internet forward as a marketplace of ideas, experiences, and products – a marketplace of content,” he wrote.

Bill Gates was right. Today, 17 years later, content marketing has become the art of communicating with customers and prospects without the hard sell. If you, as a company, can deliver consistent, ongoing, valuable content to buyers, ultimately they will reward you with their business and loyalty.


Fashion

Mats Harborn elected vice president of the EUCCCn The former chairman for the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in China, Mats Harborn, has been elected vice president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China (EUCCC).

Harborn, who is executive director of the Scania China Strategic Office, thanked his friends and the business community for all their support and encouragement: “I feel very proud to have gained your trust, but also humble. The EUCCC is a very well functioning chamber and it can be very influential both in China and in Europe.

“In my personal statement and in my speech [to the Annual General Meeting on 24 April] I stated that we should try to get even more involved in an EU-China dialogue about basic governance issues. This is of course already being done by the EUCCC, but I hope that we shall be able to further encourage such a discussion. That will benefit the moderni-sation of China’s development model and it will create a better business climate for our products and services in this market,” says Harborn.

The EU chamber’s Executive Committee is composed of representatives from vari-ous European Union member states and is elected at the annual general meeting. The committee is chaired by a president, and has five vice presidents, one treasurer, three states representatives, one observer and one secretary-general.

Yes, it’s possible!There is a reason why we dare to make the toughest customer promise in the industry.

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www.greencarrier.com

Mats Harborn

hopes to encourage

an EU-China dialogue on governance

issues.


what’s new?mannheimer swartling alerts on financial fraudWe have recently become aware of several instances of financial fraud targeting French subsidiaries of multinational corporations. These corporations have been defrauded of substantial amounts, which ultimately have ended up in Chinese bank accounts. The criminals are sophisticated and carry out the fraud by collecting information about the internal organization and payment routines of the defrauded companies and by using fake email accounts and falsified payment orders.

We encourage all our clients with foreign subsidiaries to raise their awareness of these kind of risks, not just at the finance function and treasury level, but at all departments that frequently are in contact with third parties. Payment orders by fax or email without further verification of their authenticity should generally be avoided.

department of judicial assistance and foreign affairs of the ministry of justice of china visit mannheimer swartling in stockholmA delegation of eight people under the leadership of Vice Minister Zhao Dacheng visited Sweden from 10–12 May. As part of their visit, the delegation requested to meet with representatives from Mannheimer Swartling to discuss and compare Sweden’s system of legal aid with China's. The guests from China showed a keen interest in the discussion, extending the meeting despite a very tight schedule, and were particularly interested to understand how

Sweden went from a generous legal aid system that covered almost all citizens to one where there are, for cost reasons, quite a number of limitations and where all Swedes primarily rely on the legal aid offered in e.g. home insurances before they can consider qualifying for state-funded legal aid.

The delegation also used the opportunity to learn more about Mannheimer Swartling, its position in the Nordic legal community, the pros and cons of a “true partnership” as compared to other busi-ness models, and how the firm has maintained its leadership in a very competitive industry.

Mannheimer Swartling was represented at the meeting by Partner André Andersson and Senior Counsel Thomas Lagerqvist.

mannheimer swartling represented at the inter-pacific bar associationThe Inter-Pacific Bar Association (IPBA) held its annual conference in Seoul on 18–20 April 2013. The conference attracted more than 800 lawyers from the entire Asia-Pacific region.

Mannheimer Swartling was well-represented at the conference. Ulf Ohrling, who is the past Chairman of IPBA’s Cross-Border Investment Committee, participated in the activities of the Cross-Border Investment Committee, and Nils Eliasson gave a presentation on Investment Treaty Arbitration under Chinese Bilateral Investment Treaties for the members of IPBA’s Arbitration and Litigation Committee.

mannheimer swartling holds seminar on “recent develop-ments in the russian oil and gas market” for chinese oil and gas companiesMany Chinese companies are currently looking for business opportunities within the Russian energy sector. On 26 February 2013, we were therefore pleased to present a seminar on the topic “Recent Developments in the Russian Oil and Gas Market”. The seminar was held in Beijing by two of our partners, Professor Kaj Hobér, one of the most acclaimed experts on Russian energy law and policy in the world, and Dr. Nils Eliasson, who has extensive experience from many years as counsel in energy related arbitrations involving Russian and Central Asian parties.

In the seminar, a number of current issues and developments with respect to the Russian oil and gas market were addressed, including Russian energy policy under Vladimir Putin and the Russian oil and gas legislation currently in force as well as the growth and role of Rosneft and the challenges that Gazprom currently is facing. The speakers also gave some insightful views of implications of the previously addressed points for Chinese oil and gas companies. Many distinguished guests from all major Chinese energy companies as well as from Chinese organizations and governmental authorities within the energy sector attended the seminar.

mannheimer swartling elects new partners based in moscow and new yorkMannheimer Swartling has elected Fredrik Svensson as a partner and Hampus Thofte as a local partner, effective 1 July 2013. “I am delighted to announce that we have elected two new partners from within our ranks,” said Jan Dernestam, Managing Partner of Mannheimer Swartling. “They have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to our clients and the firm. Fredrik and Hampus’ international experiences and their placement in our Moscow and New York offices, respectively, bolster the firm’s ability to advise Nordic clients in strategically important markets – and guide foreign clients in Sweden.”

best wishes for a pleasant summer!

Nordic touch with a Chinese edgewhat’s new?mannheimer swartling alerts on financial fraudWe have recently become aware of several instances of financial fraud targeting French subsidiaries of multinational corporations. These corporations have been defrauded of substantial amounts, which ultimately have ended up in Chinese bank accounts. The criminals are sophisticated and carry out the fraud by collecting information about the internal organization and payment routines of the defrauded companies and by using fake email accounts and falsified payment orders.

We encourage all our clients with foreign subsidiaries to raise their awareness of these kind of risks, not just at the finance function and treasury level, but at all departments that frequently are in contact with third parties. Payment orders by fax or email without further verification of their authenticity should generally be avoided.

department of judicial assistance and foreign affairs of the ministry of justice of china visit mannheimer swartling in stockholmA delegation of eight people under the leadership of Vice Minister Zhao Dacheng visited Sweden from 10–12 May. As part of their visit, the delegation requested to meet with representatives from Mannheimer Swartling to discuss and compare Sweden’s system of legal aid with China's. The guests from China showed a keen interest in the discussion, extending the meeting despite a very tight schedule, and were particularly interested to understand how

Sweden went from a generous legal aid system that covered almost all citizens to one where there are, for cost reasons, quite a number of limitations and where all Swedes primarily rely on the legal aid offered in e.g. home insurances before they can consider qualifying for state-funded legal aid.

The delegation also used the opportunity to learn more about Mannheimer Swartling, its position in the Nordic legal community, the pros and cons of a “true partnership” as compared to other busi-ness models, and how the firm has maintained its leadership in a very competitive industry.

Mannheimer Swartling was represented at the meeting by Partner André Andersson and Senior Counsel Thomas Lagerqvist.

mannheimer swartling represented at the inter-pacific bar associationThe Inter-Pacific Bar Association (IPBA) held its annual conference in Seoul on 18–20 April 2013. The conference attracted more than 800 lawyers from the entire Asia-Pacific region.

Mannheimer Swartling was well-represented at the conference. Ulf Ohrling, who is the past Chairman of IPBA’s Cross-Border Investment Committee, participated in the activities of the Cross-Border Investment Committee, and Nils Eliasson gave a presentation on Investment Treaty Arbitration under Chinese Bilateral Investment Treaties for the members of IPBA’s Arbitration and Litigation Committee.

mannheimer swartling holds seminar on “recent develop-ments in the russian oil and gas market” for chinese oil and gas companiesMany Chinese companies are currently looking for business opportunities within the Russian energy sector. On 26 February 2013, we were therefore pleased to present a seminar on the topic “Recent Developments in the Russian Oil and Gas Market”. The seminar was held in Beijing by two of our partners, Professor Kaj Hobér, one of the most acclaimed experts on Russian energy law and policy in the world, and Dr. Nils Eliasson, who has extensive experience from many years as counsel in energy related arbitrations involving Russian and Central Asian parties.

In the seminar, a number of current issues and developments with respect to the Russian oil and gas market were addressed, including Russian energy policy under Vladimir Putin and the Russian oil and gas legislation currently in force as well as the growth and role of Rosneft and the challenges that Gazprom currently is facing. The speakers also gave some insightful views of implications of the previously addressed points for Chinese oil and gas companies. Many distinguished guests from all major Chinese energy companies as well as from Chinese organizations and governmental authorities within the energy sector attended the seminar.

mannheimer swartling elects new partners based in moscow and new yorkMannheimer Swartling has elected Fredrik Svensson as a partner and Hampus Thofte as a local partner, effective 1 July 2013. “I am delighted to announce that we have elected two new partners from within our ranks,” said Jan Dernestam, Managing Partner of Mannheimer Swartling. “They have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to our clients and the firm. Fredrik and Hampus’ international experiences and their placement in our Moscow and New York offices, respectively, bolster the firm’s ability to advise Nordic clients in strategically important markets – and guide foreign clients in Sweden.”

best wishes for a pleasant summer!

Nordic touch with a Chinese edge

TExT: Elin Bornefalk, [email protected]

he art of networking is a key factor in build-ing your career and there is definitely some truth in the saying, “It’s not what you know, but who you know”. Networking is a planned

and ongoing effort and creation of social connections that follow you throughout your career and life. Meeting the right people in a new country offers vast opportunities and opens new doors.

The Young Professionals (YP) networks are communi-ties of people who support each other, share information and help each other open the doors to the job market and to achieve common or personal goals. The YP networks make this possible through social and business-related activities.

In this issue of Dragon News we dig deeper into these social webs and find out what the drivers are, and what is “in the loop” among young professionals in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Taipei.

We invited each YP committee to present its associa-tion, each with its own unique structure, but with the common goal to provide a social platform for people to establish valuable connections for networking, while also having a good time together …

The Young Professionals in Hong Kong is an associa-tion for young professional people and students in Hong Kong who want to establish a connection to Sweden and Scandinavia. YP is a sub-branch of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and has, today, about 100 members between 18 and 35 years old. It has a good mix of people who are working and others who are studying. They come from different cultures and backgrounds – both Swedish and non-Swedish.

Every year, YP arranges about 30-35 events, including

T

Welcome to find out more about the Young Professionals networks in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Taipei.

an active social network in four cities

business seminars, networking activities, after-work gather-ings, hikes, junk trips, Midsummer parties, Lucia and crayfish celebrations, cocktails and horse racing. On the last Friday of every month, YP hosts an After Work gathering.

“We always strive to offer our members great value and opportunities, while looking for new ways to strengthen the network. We are currently working on an online-based career coaching and mentorship program, and are just about to launch a Hong Kong introduction guide for our members,” says a Hong Kong committee representative.

The Swedish Young Professionals in Beijing is a networking platform and an event organiser both for newcomers as well as veterans in Beijing. The key target group is the young Swedish crowd in Beijing. However, everyone is welcome to attend the events, regardless of their age or nationality.

“Our networking events are always appreciated and well attended. It is clear that network-building is very important to our members, just as it is to us. Our goal is to organise events that provide a platform for networking but also bring something extra,” says a Beijing commit-tee representative.

“What usually surprises people the most is the wide range and quality of the events that we organise, especially when they hear it’s all a voluntary effort. This spring we have not only organised factory visits, we have also held speaker nights that featured some of Sweden’s foremost businessmen in China.

“For example, we organised an event at the embassy on how to build your career in China and in the world. We invited leaders from SEB, IKEA, Scania and P1. At the present, we are mainly busy finalising all the


Established: 1999.Committee: Mikael Bick (chairman), Elin Bornefalk, Sarah Himmelman, Johanna Sö-derblom, Daniel Wiklund, Lina Åkerström and Xiao-Yun Kuang Yuni.Members: Around 100, between 18-35 years. Activities: Around 30-35 per year Contact: [email protected] Social media: Facebook, LinkedIn.

YP Hong Kong

arrangements for our legendary traditional Midsummer party at the Radisson Blu hotel.”

The Young Professionals in Shanghai aims to be a natural connec-tion between China and Sweden for young professionals and students in Shanghai, but everyone who thinks they belong to Young Profes-sionals is welcome to become a member. Young Professionals Shanghai wants to be well known by young professionals, as well as cooperation partners, such as senior professionals and Swedish companies based in Shanghai. Young Professionals in Shanghai creates and organises a wide range of business, social and cultural activities, such as seminars, company visits, after-work events, sports events and social events, such as Christmas and crayfish parties.

“We work together with the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in China, the other Nordic Young Professionals organisations and the inter-chamber Young Professionals network to participate in and organ-ise activites,” a Shanghai committee representative says.

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The secret of successAre you considering expanding or starting up your business in Sweden or China? Let Vinge assist you by downloading our apps free of charge. Take advantage of our expertise and many years´ experience.

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Vinge has Swedish lawyers and Chinese legal consultants based in Shanghai, Hong Kong and in Vinge’s offices in Sweden. For more than 20 years Vinge has assisted clients in their business activities in China and has advised foreign clients in all matters regarding trade and investments between Sweden and China.

Established: 2007.Committee: Alexander de Freitas (chairman), Calvin Kan, Christoffer de Geer, Johanna Luo, Louise Granath, Oskar Sundberg, Peder Weibull Hartman, Richard Weibull and Robert Odéen. Activities: Evening seminars, workshops, com-pany visits, sports activities, social events.Members: Around 150-200 active members.Contact: [email protected] media: LinkedIn and Facebook.

YP Shanghai

Established: 2012.Committee: Catrine Magnusson, Magnus Lysell, George Lin, Sofia Thome, Coka Liu, Valerie Wang, Shu-man Huang, Jia-Kai Jhou.Members: Around 20-30. Activities: Around 20-30 activities per year.Contact: [email protected] Social media: Facebook.

YP Taipei

Established: 2005.Committee: (clockwise on picture), Jonas Söderström, Pontus Bodén, Eskil Hallström (chairman), Joakim Görsberg, Anton Hellkvist, Alexandra Leyton Espinoza, Mirjam Gustafs-son and Jonas Porat.Members: Around 150, in different ages between 18 and 35. Activities: Around 15-20 per year Contact: [email protected] Social media: Facebook, LinkedIn.

YP Beijing

The Young Professionals in Taipei is a recently established Young Professionals group. An organisation has been established, a strategy has been agreed upon, many new members have joined and upcom-ing events are in the pipeline. The Young Professionals team in Taipei consists of both Swedes and local Taiwanese with a connection to Swe-den. The integration of people is highly valued and the member mix makes it possible to embrace Taiwanese and Swedish culture during the events.

The team also focuses on integrating both young professionals and more senior professionals, which means the events are open for everybody. Another service that the team provides is to help to find work placements for students – including internships and master thesis research.

The Young Professionals in Taipei are now looking forward to the yearly board meeting, the Midsummer dinner at the Swedish restaurant Flavors and some good entertainment by Ola – the Swedish chef. The annual kubb tournament is a new tradition and a chance to enjoy a “Swedish summer feeling”. b


Hong Kong

n On 15 May, Sofia Zdolsek from EKN, The Swedish Export Credits Guarantee Board, hosted a lunch seminar at a chamber event in Hong Kong. During the seminar, Zdolsek explained how EKN’s guarantees make ex-port transactions more secure and allow for more competitive financing, which in many cases can be crucial to the completion of a transaction.

A large number of Swedish exporters and

banks appreciate the advantage of EKN’s serv-ices and demand is increasing. In 2012, which was the fourth consecutive year to see histori-cally high volumes, EKN guaranteed transac-tions worth SEK49 billion in 123 countries.

“Marketing is very important to us,” Zdolsek said. “Companies need to know that EKN exists and what we can offer to help them expand in their current markets, as well as take steps into new ones.”

Making export transactions more secure

Opportunities in cleaning up the Hong Kong air

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Undersecretary Christine Loh gives a speech about roadside air pollution.

n The final event in SwedCham Hong Kong en-vironmental committee’s spring program was a well-attended lunch seminar on the topic of roadside air pollution, moderated by Kristian Odebjer, chamber vice chairman.

Christine Loh, undersecretary for the environment, gave a keynote address, while panellists from Scania, Kowloon Motor Bus and Clean Air Network provided insights on busi-ness opportunities associated with cleaning up Hong Kong´s air.

SwedCham’s environmental committee or-ganised a series of spring activities to promote environmental consciousness. Those activities included beach cleaning at Po Toi on 23 March and a Waste Management Focus Day on 3 May.

We would like to take this opportunity to offer a big “thank you” to the sponsors who made the spring programme possible: the Consulate General of Sweden, CTEK, Odebjer Fohlin FitzGerald, Scania, Gekko Quality Solu-tions and Wackes.

From left: Kristian Odebjer, vice chairman SwedCham and moderator; Nick Leach, director at Scania; Christine Loh, undersecretary for the environment; Sum Yin-kwong, CEO of Clean Air Network; and Evan Auyang, deputy manager of the Kowloon Motor Bus Company.

Sofia Zdolsek of EKN wants

to help companies

expand.


Beijing

perspective on China today and onwards n At a breakfast meeting on 26 March, Dr Christer Ljungwall from the Swedish Agency for Growth Policy Analysis and head of the Office of Science and Innovation of the Swedish Embassy, gave his views on what message the new Chinese government has delivered to the world and its consequences.

The Chinese economy maintained impres-sive growth of 7.7 per cent on a year-on-year basis in the first quarter of 2013. Looking ahead, maintaining growth at this level may prove difficult, requiring substantial and complicated reforms, Ljungwall said. Resources must be channelled to new and growing sectors and products. It is particu-larly important to further speed up financial sector reforms that allow interest rates to play a greater role, while increasing competi-tion and access to capital, he said.

From this follows other key challenges, ac-

cording to Ljungwall, such as setting a level playing field for state-owned enterprises and other firms – both domestic and foreign – eliminating entry barriers to service sectors, and defining clearly the roles of the state and the markets. Further fiscal decentrali-sation must also be accompanied by tax reforms so that local government spending matches fiscal revenues. Reforms that are necessary to foster balanced urbanisation include liberalising the household registra-tion system and pursuing rural land reform.

Attempting to sustain growth without resolving these – and other – fundamental issues risk leaving China with an unbalanced economic and social structure, concluded Ljungwall. A key component for success is timing, and the longer it takes before re-forms are implemented the longer it will take for inefficient allocation patterns to end.

a new thought-driven economyn Around 20 members attended an interesting morning meeting in Beijing on 25 March, when Mats Lindgren, CEO and founder of Kairos Future, presented his ideas about the new economy. He explained how the global scene is rapidly transforming into a “thought economy”, accelerated by innovation and in which ideas, concepts and contacts are the equivalents of natural resources, capital and manpower.

Companies today are not good at structur-ing thoughts and ideas, according to Lindgren.

They need to be more systematic about the creative process. Good ideas are the results of hard work. This challenges all our previous ideas of great management and leadership, and it changes the competitive advantages of companies as well as nations.

Through extensive management research Kairos Future has identified key factors for organisational success in a thought-driven economy. “Leadership in the 21st Century is about making people dance,” Lindgren said.

Nordic Chamber Golf Tournament 2013 n On Saturday morning 11 May, the annual Nordic Chamber Golf Tournament took place at the Farmers’ Golf Course. Nearly 50 golf players took to the perfect green pitch in stunning sum-mer weather.

The Danish team, with Claus Nicolajsen, Peter Nielsen, Jesper Thomsen and Benny Poulsen, won the Stableford tournament with 153 points, just one point more than the runner-up team from Sweden. The Finnish team finished at third place and the Norwegians came fourth.

In keeping with tradition, the Danish team raised the trophy, and their names will be engraved in the roll of honour. Meanwhile, on top of the glory, the winning team received RMB10,000 from Nordea, a brunch at The Westin hotel in Beijing, and a dozen golf balls from JLindeberg.

Claus Nicolajsen won the individual lowest gross, with 74 strokes and won a two-day stay

at Blue Canyon Country Club in Phuket, Thailand, including four green fees and a spa treatment. The best female golfer of the day was Anna Fillipsen, with 34 points.

The prize table was, as always, packed with great prizes. We would like to thank our great sponsors that made this tournament so special: Access People, Andreas Friis, Be-stseller, Biörck & Co, Blue Canyon, Car-o-liner,

DNV, Environmental Air of Sweden, Eilersen, Ericsson, Intercontinental, JLindeberg, Metso, Mosto, Nordea, Oasis, Radisson Blu, SAS, SEB, Snow of Sweden, St Regis and Statoil.

China cannot sustain growth without solving a number of fundamental

issues, says Christer Ljungwall.

Tomas Larsson, Mats Lindgren and Daniel Lindén of Kairos Future.

A beautiful golf course in Beijing.

The winning team from Denmark.


Shanghai

n Jenny Hedelin, the Swedish business daily Dagens Industri’s correspondent in China, shared some of her experiences of working as a journalist in the country, at a breakfast seminar on 30 May in Shanghai.

She captivated her audience by sharing very personal experiences and challenges she undergone during her two years here. For example, during her latest in-depth article about the environ-

ment in China, she was stopped by local officials and her photographer’s memory card was seized. She says she focuses on interviewing ordinary Chinese people rather than “China experts” to unravel a truer picture of the culture and the views of the people living here. She concluded by saying that, even though her job poses many challenges, it is the most exciting job she has ever had.

reflections of a China correspondent

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Studies show that deviations of 5°C regarding the ideal indoor temperature have an enormous effect on people: The work efficiency decreases with up to 30 percent and the accident risk increases with 10 percent. Furthermore, polluted air co-ming into our buildings can become a dangerous hazard for our health and well-being. A well-balanced, energy efficient and modern ventilation system made in Sweden is the solution. Swegon is one of the leading suppliers of clean air and healthy indoor environments. The company is specialized in intelligent and energy efficient ventilation systems with solutions for all needs, put-ting the environment and the people as their first priority. Calculations show that all the systems Swegon delivered in 2011 contributed to a reduction in energy consumption corresponding to

the annual energy production from nearly 360,000 wind turbines. Counted since 1994, all Swegon products and systems contributed to a reduction in energy consumption corresponding driving 2.5 million times around the equator with a car or the annual electricity consumption of 12,200,000 houses. In monetary terms, the total savings since 1994 are up to 37.3 billion CNY. Swegon’s innovative and ground-breaking systems and solutions always aim to achieve a comfortable, energy giving and healthy in-door climate with the lowest possible energy consumption and the lowest possible environmental impact. We create the world’s best indoor climate for people and the environment.

Today you will inhale 15 kg of air – make sure it is the best!

CH_15kgs_A4.indd 1 2013-03-13 08:45:52

n On 26 April at the Le Royal Méridien, the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in China hosted a semi-nar with the award-winning speaker Fredrik Hären in conjunction with the release of his new book One World. One Company. With more than 50 attendees, Fredrik spoke to the seminar about what he thinks it means to be a truly global company. The presentation was highly interesting, relevant and at times provocative, as Fredrik poked holes in myths about the truly global company.

The ‘truly global’ myth

n The Swedish chamber in Shanghai invited Mary Boyd from The Econ-omist Group to speak to its members on 11 April. The seminar, which discussed the economic outlook for China, was highly appreciated. Boyd threw light on China’s new leadership team and expectations for action in terms of the reform agenda. How realistic these expectations are and what lies ahead for economic policy was also debated.

an economic outlook for China

Jenny Hedelin is facing many

challenges as a correspondent

in China.

Fredrik Härén launches his new book.

Mary Boyd from The Economist talks about reforms in China.


HONG KONG OrdINarY MEMBErS >>>

Li & Fung Trading9/F Spinner Building800 Cheung Sha Wan Road, KowloonHong KongTel: +852 2300 4800Email: [email protected]: www.lifung.com

ActivitiesLi & Fung Limited is a Hong Kong-headquartered multination-al group and recognised as the world’s leader in consumer-goods design, development, sourcing and distribution. The company specialises in supply-chain management of high-volume, time-sensitive goods for leading retailers and brands worldwide via an extensive global network.

Li & Fung provides sophisticated, one-stop-shop supply chain solutions to meet customers’ specific needs. From prod-uct design, raw-material sourcing and production manage-ment to quality control, logistics, shipping and other important functions, its spectrum of services covers the entire supply chain end-to-end. The company is a member of the Fung Group, with a history dating back over a century to 1906.

Chamber representativesPeter Östling, Senior Vice President ITPaul Fowler, CIO

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HONG KONG OVErSEaS MEMBErS >>>

Jyske Bank (Schweiz AG)Wasserwerk Str. 12Postfach CH-8021Zurich, SchweizTel: +41 44 368 73 73Email: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Web: www.jyskebank.ch

ActivitiesPrivate banking is all about our relationship with you. To be able to offer you the right investment solution, we need to get to know you as a client, establish a sense of trust be-tween you and the bank and identify your needs. Your invest-ment needs vary depending on your assets. Together, we can agree on the framework for our collaboration. We are strongly focused on personal relations. Every client has a personal and individual investment adviser.

Jyske Bank Private Banking is a part of the Jyske Bank Group, and we cater only to international, private clients. We currently have a client base of some 20,000 clients in 135 countries. Each client is served by one of our private banking offices in Copenhagen, Zurich, Gibraltar or Weer. The minimum initial deposit at Jyske Bank (Schweiz) AG is EUR 200,000.

Chamber representativesStephan Lickert, Senior Business DeveloperKasper Skov Hammerich, Senior Investment Adviser

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Michaël Berglund Expat SearchStrandvägen 5BSE-114 51 StockholmSwedenTel: +46 8 663 9000Email: [email protected]

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ActivitiesMichaël Berglund Expat Search is an arm of Michaël Ber-glund Executive Search, one of the leading executive search firms in Sweden. We conduct assignments in executive search and board recruitment, and also maintain a constant look-out function. Our focus is Swedes working abroad who want to maintain a connection with the Swedish job market. Our definition of an expatriate is a person who has lived and worked abroad for at least two years.

Our vision is to highlight global talent and enrich com-panies, organisations and society. After nearly 30 years’ experience of executive recruitments in a variety of indus-tries, we know the value international experience can bring to an organisation.

Chamber representativesPer Wreding, ConsultantStina Sandberg, Consultant

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Port of GothenburgSE-403 38 GothenburgSwedenTel: +46 31 368 75 00Email: [email protected] [email protected] Web: www.portofgothenburg.com

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ActivitiesThe Port of Gothenburg is Scandinavia’s largest port. One-third of Sweden’s total foreign trade passes through it. Ever since it opened in the 1600s, direct traffic to Asia and other parts of the world has been the port’s strength. Today, we facilitate trade with 140 destinations in Europe, India, the Far East and North America.

The Port of Gothenburg has terminals for containers, Ro/Ro, cars, energy products and passengers. Each week, 210 vessels call at the port – making for a total of almost 11,000 visits a year. In addition, 70 trains arrive or depart every day, 25 of them freight shuttles, with daily departures linking the port to cities throughout Sweden and Norway.

Chamber representativesClaes Sundmark, Vice President Sales & MarketingStig-Göran Thorén, Senior Manager Business Development

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Clean Healthy Air 24/7 = Life insurance and Higher Performance

At Home • Kindergarten/School/High School/University • At Work

SWEDEN HQ Environmental Air of Sweden AB. Mr Göran Hertzberg, M D, Ph: 0046 761 048 350, Mail: [email protected]

www.easab.com

EAS Beijing Office, China, Mr Shangyou Dong, Manager, Ph: 0086 10 85322147,Cell: 0086 135 2199 5330, Mail: [email protected]

Conexor ABGyllenkroks Alle 19SE-222 24 LundSwedenTel: +46 46 373 732Email: [email protected]: www.conexor.com

ActivitiesConexor is a consultancy in the field of environmental project management and environmental protection. The business concept is to initiate, develop, coordinate and support in finding financing, and managing various project activities. Conexor also provides consultancy services in the field of ambient air-quality management.

Conexor’s projects generally embrace information technol-ogy, with internet-based functions as a cornerstone. Legisla-tive issues and organisational matters are also addressed.

Chamber representativeBjörn Wahlstedt, Managing Director

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Swedish banking in ChinaWe feel at home in the Chinese market and want you to feel the same. It’s a large and fast-growing market. As a result, more and more Scandinavian companies need banking solutions, such as cash management, financing in local and foreign currencies, trade finance and treasury solutions in China. We’ll help you – bring-ing our 20 years of experience of business in China. If you have the opportunity, please visit us in Shanghai where we’ve been located since 2001.

Swedbank ShanghaiCitigroup Tower 601,

33 Huayuanshiqiao Rd. Shanghai, China

+ 86 21 386 126 00

CHINa OrdINarY MEMBErS >>>

Dolhem Design Management Consulting (Shanghai) Co, LtdBuilding 3, No 881, Wuding Road Jing’an DistrictShanghai 200040Tel: +86 21 6090 0350Web: www.dolhemdesign.cn

ActivitiesDolhem Design is a multidisciplinary design agency with the world as a workspace. Our mantra is: Be curious! Established in Shanghai in 2010, we believe that Chinese brands and China will shape the future, and we also offer support to Western brands that are also aiming to take their place in this colossal market. We are a European design company distinguished by Swedish simplicity (the company was founded 1998 in Stockholm) in design solutions, with a clas-sic French touch. Our team comprises talented designers and project managers of five different nationalities: Chinese, Swedish, French, Russian and Spanish, each bringing a unique perspective to our work.

We are also part of the IntoDesign group, one of the most experienced shoe design and production groups in China, with more than 15 years of experience in the Chinese market.

Chamber representativeChristophe DolhemEmail: [email protected]: +86 139 1637 4182

Roser Hotel & EventJärnvägsgatan 5SE-532 30 SkaraSwedenTel: +46 511 240 50Fax: +46 511 240 69Web: www.rosers.se

HONG KONG INdIVIdUal MEMBErS >>>

Karen CheungEmail: [email protected]: +852 3413 3904

Lisbeth ClaessonEmail: [email protected]: +852 9686 7784

Patrik SundvissonEmail: Patrik.sundvisson@brandloyalty. com.hkTel: +852 9102 0670

Christian ToggenburgerEmail: [email protected]: +852 2511 1130

ActivitiesRoser’s Event & Gastronomy is a family-owned company working out of Skara, Sweden. Over the past 20 years, the company has achieved a leading market position in the segment of event catering. Our strength is the ability to understand our customers’ expectations and then realise them without sacrificing quality.

Our long and extensive experience spans a broad spectrum of events; among others the Volvo Ocean Race 2008/09. We have a long history with the Swedish defence industry, as the first choice of caterers for the Swedish Air Force and the Swedish defence industry at international air force fairs, and we have also had the great pleasure and privilege of working closely with the Swedish Royal Court on several occasions – for example when the Volvo Ocean Race was invited by His Majesty the King to a garden party at the Royal Palace in Stockholm 2009.

Chamber representativeBengt RoserEmail: [email protected]: +46 705 20 35 73


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KTH, Royal Institute of Technology Brinellvägen 8SE-10044 StockholmSwedenTel: +46 8 790 6000Web: www.kth.se

ActivitiesKTH, in Stockholm, is the largest, oldest and most inter-national technical university in Sweden. No less than one-third of Sweden’s university-level technical research and engineering education capacity is provided by KTH. Educa-tion and research spans natural sciences to all branches of engineering, and also includes architecture, industrial management and urban planning.

Chamber representativeRamon WyssVice President for International Affairs Email: [email protected] line: +46 8 790 8409Mobile: +46 702 30 82 10

PartnerTech China LimitedNo 5, Lianxin RoadShang Jiao Management District, Chang’an, Dongguan, Guangdong Province 523878Tel: +86 769 8908 9998 Fax: +86 769 8906 6787Web: www.partnertech.com

ActivitiesPartnerTech in China offers a complete range of services to meet the increasing demand from European companies for lo-cal production in China and for sales in Asia. We provide every-thing from low/medium-volume and high-mix full-service needs in our newly established Chang’an operation to high-volume manufacturing together with our partner 3CEMS in Guangzhou.

In addition to production facilities, PartnerTech has an experienced sourcing unit locally in China. All PartnerTech China operations comply to the PartnerTech quality model, the production facilities are accredited with Western control and have high IP standard. The newly established Chang’an operation has the ability to handle production in all phases of the product lifecycle covering PCBA, subassemblies and box-build within electronics, as well as systems integration and enclosures and mechanics. PartnerTech in Chang’an also offers distribution services including warehousing and transportation all the way to the end-customer in China, Asia and any part of the world.

Chamber representativeSteven TanEmail: [email protected]: +86 136 0306 2579

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THE LOGOThe purpose of a logo is to let customers and the market know exactly who we are. Our internationally recognizable logo presents our company in a straightforward, understandable manner.

Absolute InternshipNo 1077, Xietu RoadShanghai 200032Mobile: +86 182 1722 8766Web: www.absoluteinternship.com

ActivitiesAbsolute Internship allows companies to host – at no cost – motivated and ambitious interns. We provide students with housing, transportation, weekend activities and evening workshops as part of an all-inclusive internship experience.

Chamber representativesAurelie ChouafEmail: [email protected] van HuynhEmail: [email protected]

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Green Fortune ChinaShanghai Office Room No 2101, Fudan University Science ParkNo 11, Guotai RoadShanghai 200433Tel: +86 4001 002034Web: www.greenfortune.com

ActivitiesGreen Fortune is a landscape design and engineering com-pany founded in 2004 in Stockholm. Plantwall®, our famous installation, is a vertical garden made of real, healthy plants, bringing vibrant plant life and fresh, clean air to urban interiors.

Green Fortune maintains hundreds of Plantwalls we have designed and built for our clients across 16 countries. In China, our clients include Alibaba, ICBC, Rhodia, Muraya DCE, Volvo, SAP and the Consulate General of Sweden. We con-stantly develop new interesting ways to create more space for green plants within modern urban life. Contact us to visit and experience our works.

Chamber representativeAntoine BlancherEmail: [email protected]: +86 137 7428 1854

GREEN FORTUNE®


CHINa aSSOCIaTE MEMBErS >>>

Ulrika EkmanVilla 2185, Area C, Yosemite No 4, Yuyang Road, Hou Sha Yu Town, Shun Yi DistrictBeijing 101302Mobile: +86 139 1164 4341Email: [email protected]

David Johansson13th floor, East Ocean Centre MelchersNo 588, Yan’an Road East Shanghai 200001Mobile: +86 139 1738 2385Email: [email protected]

Anders PalmgrenVilla 79-1, Rose and Gingkos VillaHou Sha Yu, Shunyi District Beijing 101318Mobile: +86 186 1401 3710Email: [email protected]

Johan PalmqvistRoom 2601, No 9, Lakeville Regency Lane 168, Shunchang RoadShanghai 200020Mobile: +86 158 2166 4290Email: [email protected]

Bo WendemoRoom 1012, Millennium ResidencesNo 7, Dongsanhuan Zhonglu, Chaoyang DistrictBeijing 100020Mobile: +86 186 0135 1713Email: [email protected]

Sofia ZdolsekApt 2102, House 7, Yanlord GardenShangcheng Lu, Lane 99, LujiazuiPudongShanghai 200120Mobile: +86 135 8550 9083Email: [email protected]

Swedbrand Packaging Shanghai Co, Ltd Room 601, Kun Yang International Business PlazaNo 798, Zhaojiabang RoadShanghai 200030Tel: +86 21 6137 1981Fax: +852 3014 5827 Web: www.swedbrand.comEmail: [email protected]

ActivitiesSwedbrand’s innovative packaging solutions integrate contemporary design with the highest quality production and strategic global logistics. Founded in 2006 by Swedish nationals, the company now serves clients in 17 countries from its international offices in Germany, Hong Kong, China and Vietnam. Swedbrand prides itself on the long-term, strategic relationships it has developed with clients from the worlds of fashion, retail and food & beverage.

Chamber representativesChris Magnusson, Owner E-mail: [email protected]: +86 134 8249 5155Zaid Bunni, Co-Founder and DirectorEmail: [email protected]: +86 159 2151 8137

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IST International Software Technology, Suzhou Co, Ltd 15th floor, International Commerce TowerNo 28, Shishan RoadSuzhou, Jiangsu Province 215011Tel: +86 512 6875 9019Web: www.ist.com

ActivitiesIST is the largest supplier of IT solutions for schools and pre-schools in the Nordic region. IST develops and maintains flexible and limitless IT solutions for supporting students throughout the entire education life cycle – from preschool to university. We aim to make administration more efficient, facilitate communi-cation, and create new possibilities in the teaching process.

Chamber representativeChristoffer GrahnEmail: [email protected]: +86 136 7198 4807

Luvata Heat Transfer Solutions (Wuxi) Co, Ltd Shanghai BranchRoom 1010, Tower 1No 218, West Tianmu Road Zhabei DistrictShanghai 200070Tel: +86 21 -6107 2300, ext 808Fax: +86 21 6107 2311Web: www.luvata.com

ActivitiesLuvata is a global leader in the areas of metal fabrication (primarily copper) and manufacturing of HVAC-R compo-nents, with a Group turnover of approximately 1.8 billion EUR. In China, all three divisions of Luvata are represented: Tubes, Special Products (Welding electrodes, Supercon-ducting wire) and Heat Transfer Solutions. Manufacturing locations are based in Zhongshan (four plants), Wuxi and Su-zhou. The total turnover in China is currently 2.5 billion CNY. Our products serve industries such as air-conditioning and refrigeration, automotive, medical devices and electronics.

Chamber representativeFredrik VejgardenEmail: [email protected]: +86 138 1806 5944

Erik Forsberg23rd floor, Building 4, Gemini International No 1785, Jianghan Road, Binjiang District Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province 310052 Mobile: +86 186 5889 3006Email: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Amelia Lannhagen SamuelssonApt 104, Building 3, Wan Ping Lu Lane 8Xuhui DistrictShanghai 200003Mobile: +86 156 0165 3541Email: [email protected]


Wealth management today involves much more than selecting the best stocks and bonds. At Nordea Private Banking, we offer you an experienced personal advisor and a comprehensive overview of your wealth based on thorough research and rigorous analysis. One private banker, many specialists – making it possible.

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Nordea Bank S.A and Nordea Bank Finland Plc, Singapore Branch are part of Nordea Group, the leading financial services group in the Nordic and Baltic Sea regions. Being the leading Nordic pan-European banking entity in Luxembourg, Nordea Bank S.A. focuses on international Wealth Management, Fund Distribution and Fund Management services. Our 400 employees serve a wide spectrum of international clients in more than 125 countries. Some products and services may, due to local regulations, not be available to individuals resident in certain countries and their availability may depend, among other things, on the investment risk profile of persons in receipt of this publication or on any legislation to which they are subject. Nothing in this publication should be construed as an offer, or the solicitation of an offer, to purchase, subscribe to or sell any investment or product, or to engage in any other transaction or provide any kind of financial or banking service in any jurisdiction where Nordea Bank S.A. and Nordea Bank Finland Plc, Singapore Branch or any of their affiliates do not have the necessary licence. Published by Nordea Bank Finland Plc, Singapore Branch, 3 Anson Rd #22-01, Springleaf Tower, Singapore 079909 www.nordeaprivatebanking.com subject to the supervision of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (www.mas.gov.sg ).

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SwEdISH CHaMBEr OF COMMErCE in Hong Kong

n SwedCham Hong Kong’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held at the Nordic restaurant FINDS in Tsimshatsui on 24 April 2013. Almost 50 members participated in the meeting and the lunch. During 2012, the chamber had eight active committees, and at the meeting their work was presented by their respective chairmen.

A new board of directors was elected, consisting of Ulf Ohrling (chairman), Jimmy Bjennmyr, Carl Christensson, Eva Henriksson, Walter Jennings, Staffan Löfgren, Laurence McDonald, Kristian Odebjer and Per Ågren.

The chamber would especially like to welcome the new directors, Jimmy Bjennmyr from Handelsbanken, and Walter Jennings of Kreab Gavin Anderson. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Dan Lindwall and Gunnar Mansfeld for the time and effort they have put into the chambers’ work, and at the same time wish them all the best in their future endeavours.

annual General Meeting in Hong Kong 2013

Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong

DIRECTORS OF THE BOARDUlf Ohrling, Chairman [Mannheimer Swartling]Jimmy Bjennmyr [Handelsbanken]Carl Christensson [Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken]Eva Henriksson [Henriksson Consulting]Walter Jennings [Kreab Gavin Anderson]Staffan Löfgren [ScanAsia Consulting]Laurence McDonald [Ericsson]Kristian Odebjer [Advokatfirman Odebjer Fohlin Fitzgerald]Per Ågren [APC Asia Pacific Cargo]

1. Ulf Ohrling thanks resigning director Dan Lindwall.

2. Auditor John Lo, who generously performed the chamber’s audit free of charge, is greeted by Ulf Ohrling.

3. The new board of directors (from left): Kristian Odebjer, Per Ågren, Carl Christensson, Laurence McDonald, Walter Jennings, Ulf Ohrling, Jimmy Bjennmyr and Eva Henriksson. Absent: Staffan Löfgren.

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Suite 2909 China Resources Building, No.26 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong. Email: [email protected] [+852 3588 0000] / [email protected] [+852 3588 0012]

General Line: +852 2882-2088 Fax: +852 2975-8042 www.primasia.hk

MANDARIN STAR PRIMASIA CORPORATE SERVICES LIMITED

Swedish founded – 24 years in Hong Kong

SwEdISH CHaMBEr OF COMMErCE in China

n The Swedish Chamber of Commerce´s yearly Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held in Shanghai on Friday 26 April, and in what is a tradition the AGM was followed by a Spring Party, this year held at the Le Royal Méridien, a five-star hotel in Shanghai.

For the Swedish Chamber of Commerce, this year’s AGM saw some changes. Mats Harborn, who has been chairman since 2005, decided to not to run for re-election for another year and the election committee suggested Katarina Nilsson, resident partner at Advokatfirman Vinge, as the new chairman. Three new directors were elected: Ulf Söder-ström from SCA, Peter Idsäter from Mannheimer Swartling and Peter Sandberg from Tobii.

After the elections and the formal part of the evening were com-pleted, welcome cocktails were served outside Ai Mei, the restaurant hosting the party. The lobby was decorated with flowers and balloons in the colours of the Swedish flag. All 200 guests were seated at tables innovatively decorated with placemats that featured pieces of member company WallVision’s wide wallpaper selection. The snaps, sponsored by Absolut, were ceremonially brought to each table accom-panied by a traditional Swedish marching song.

Emma Gunterberg Sachs, event manager, and Alexander de Freitas, Anders Wall Scholarship holder, at the chamber in Shanghai, greeted the guests, thanked the sponsors and announced a toast for the chamber’s 15th anniversary. Mats Harborn was thanked by the just elected chairman, Katarina Nilsson, and treasurer Fredrik Ektander for his contribution to the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in China. The chamber also thanked the three directors that did not run for re-election – Erik Ed, Thomas Sörensson and Sara Wramner – for their contributions over the years.

An excellently balanced dinner was served by Bengt Roser and his team. After enjoying the main course, it was time for the first enter-tainer to take to the stage. Sachs introduced Anna-Lena Brundin, a

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Swedish Chamber of Commerce in China

DIRECTORS OF THE BOARDKatarina Nilsson, Chairman [Advokatfirman Vinge]Lars-Åke Severin, Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Beijing Chapter [PSU]Ulf Söderström, Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Shanghai Chapter [SCA]Fredrik Ektander, Treasurer [SEB]Yvonne Chen [GM, Swedish Chamber of Commerce in China]Birgitta Ed [Six Year Plan]Karine Hirn [East Capital]Peter Idsäter [Mannheimer Swartling]Daniel Karlsson [Asia Perspective]Tom Nygren [Ericsson]Martin Pei [SSAB]Peter Sandberg [Tobii]

1. Mats Harborn was thanked for his contribution to the Swedish Cham-ber of Commerce in China by Katari-na Nilsson and Fredrik Ektander.

2. The Swedish Chamber of Commerce´s Honorary Award was awarded Bengt Johansson and Anita Jonsson.

3. The entrepreneur Fredrik Härén entertains the participants.

4. The guests enjoy the evening.5. Parts of both the new and old main

board sing a snaps song.6. Stand-up comedian Anna-Lena

Brundin makes her audience laugh.

well-known Swedish stand-up comedian. She made everyone laugh and ended up teaching the audience a new snaps song. This evening continued with an excellent line-up of entertainers . Entrepreneur and author Fredrik Härén was next in line, giving a humorous speech about Swedish creativity.

During the evening the Swedish Chamber of Commerce´s Honorary Award was awarded to Bengt Johansson, CSR ambassador at the Min-istry for Foreign Affairs in Stockholm and Anita Jonsson, international business developer at Business Sweden, for their significant contribu-tions to the Sino-Swedish industrial and trade relations. The dinner ended with a lucky draw, after which the guests were invited to the 65th floor of Le Royal Méridien to mingle over cocktails.

We want to extend a big “thank you” to our generous sponsors. The Gold sponsors were Handelsbanken, PartnerTech, Roser Event and Catering, Finnair and Le Royal Méridien. The Silver sponsors were Stora Enso and Business Sweden, while Nordea was the Bronze sponsor.

annual General Meeting in Shanghai 2013

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a F T E r H O U rS

n Restaurants

Brunch at Tian’anmen Square If you have not yet been to Capital M´s brunch you have missed something. It’s best is to go there either on a Saturday or Sunday morning from early spring, until you cannot sit outside anymore, since brunch is best enjoyed on the outdoor terrace, which features a spec-tacular view over Tian’anmen Square.

The brunch menu has a Scandinavian touch with Danish smørrebrød, and there is also Carlsberg. Wind up the meal with something sweat. Bottom-less cups of coffee or tea are included. Alternatively, get started with one their highly recommended Bloody Marys.

The views are spectacular by night so be sure to return for an evening meal too if you were impressed by brunch. Address: 3/F, No 2 Qianmen Pedestrian Street (just south of Tian’anmen Square), Beijing.Phone: +86 -10 6702 2727 Web: www.m-restaurantgroup.com

O u r w o r l d i s l o g i s t i c s

Kasper Svane KristensenSales Manager Hong Kong & China

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n Music

Swedish drummer in Hong Kong 1Poubelle International is one of the more internation-ally renowned Hong Kong indie bands. Vocalist/guitarist Ben McCarthy, bassist/vocalist Zane Stroud and Swedish drummer Johan Persson play, according to the Sassy Hong Kong website, with “boundless energy, humour and camaraderie on stage, brings audiences to their feet… or even knees!”

Poubelle has received good reviews in international media. CNNgo.com called them the “best Hong Kong band to rock out with”, Time talks about their “hand-clapping, indie rock vigour …” and Time Out’s reviewer says “I’m trying to find fault with Poubelle International, but it’s quite hard”.

When he is not playing drums, Persson is a design director at C’monde Studios Ltd. He is also member of the Swedish chamber’s editorial committee.

Find out more about Poubelle International on Facebook and at www.poubelleinternational.com. You can also listen to them on Spotify, which recently launched in Hong Kong.

n Books

Directors and sailors in Shanghai As a follow-up to his book, Shanghai. Svenskars liv & öden 1847-2012 (Shanghai – Swedes’ Lives and Fortunes 1847-2012), which was published in 2012, the former con-sul-general in Shanghai, Bengt Johansson, has released a new book, Bland direktörer och sjömän i det gamla Shanghai (Among Directors and Sailors in the Old Shanghai).

It focuses on Swedes who contributed to the development of Shanghai during the first half of the 20th century, and on places where many meetings took place; for ex-ample, the former French Club (today the Carnation Room at the Okura Garden Hotel on Maoming Lu). It also tells the story of the 72 Swedish sailors who were forced to remain in Shanghai throughout the Second World War and could not get home until 1946.

The author has collected more than 50 photos and illustrations of Swedes at that time and also interviewed the only sailor from that group who is still alive.

n Music

Swedish drummer in Hong Kong 2Fredrik Lindell is a Swedish musician who plays drums in two Hong Kong bands, the pop-punk favourites and party-rockers quartet Shotgun Politics and the acoustic folk-rock trio Kes-trels and Kites, for which he has teamed up with singer/bassist Tiffany Laue, and singer/guitarist Luke Chow from the Hungry Ghosts.

“Shotgun Politics is my main band, and we have played together for three years in Hong Kong. Our best gig was at the Happy Valley racecourse, where we had the chance to play to 18,000 people. Kestrels is my second band and we have been playing for about a year. We recently performed on RTHK’s TV station ATV which was lots of fun,” says Lindell.

After a performance, Shotgun Politics was reviewed at www.undergroundhk.com as play-ing an “upbeat set of eminently danceable tunes at breakneck speed.”

Sassy Hong Kong says of Kestrels and Kites: “Their first EP, ‘Fallen’, is a cheeky-yet-charming collection of ditties that would make the perfect accompaniment to a lazy Sunday afternoon or sitting out in the sun.”

Check out the bands on their Facebook sites, on YouTube and on their websites www.shotgun-politics.com and www.kestrelsandkites.com.

n Cafes

Sandwiches in styleIf you long for a proper European-style sandwich in Beijing, visit Bocata. It boasts a varied clientele that includes expatriate families taking it easy on the weekend and embassy staff stopping by for lunch.

Bocata serves tasty salads and Spanish-style sandwiches, with a huge variety of fillings; they also have many options for vegetarians and the prices are reasonable. The venue has beauti-ful outdoor seating for the summer months – away from the city buzz but still amongst the actions. Address: 3 Sanlitun Beijie, Chaoyang, Beijing. Phone: +86 21 6417 5219.Opening hours: 11am-12pm.

Drummer Johan Persson is in

the middle.

Fredrik Lindell is at the right.

Shotgun Politics, with Fredrik Lindell as second from right.

On 12 April, the Swedish Chambers of Commerce in Hong Kong and China launched the member magazine Dragon News as an app at Apple AppStore for iPads and iPhones, which was shortly followed by a similar launch at Google Play for Android tablets and mobile phones.

We were, probably, the first chamber in China or Hong Kong – and also, probably, the first Swedish chamber in the world – to take this step in order to show that Sweden is at the forefront of new media technology.

We know that the American chamber in China launched its member magazine one month later, but that app is only for the iPad.

We also know that this is a process of continuous improvements, and we will try, step by step, to make the app better. With this in mind, we

have asked some of our members about their experiences of download-ing and reading the first digital Dragon News on their devices.

Here are the questions:1) Have you downloaded the first Dragon News app? 2) Do you use Apple’s or Google’s operative system?3) What do you think about the app and being able to read Dragon

News on your device?4) Do you tap the link to advertisers’ websites or watch the short

video clips?5) Do you have any suggestions of how we can develop the app further?

T H E C H a M B E r a N d I

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Dragon News was launched as an app in April. Here is what some of the first users think.

Niklas Olsson, Greencarrier, Hong Kong

1) Yes, I just did.2) Google via mobile, Sony Experia.3) It is a very good idea.4) Not yet.5) Well, since I like to read on my mobile

phone it would be good with a possibility to zoom the text.

Håkan Aldrin, SEB, Hong Kong

1) Yes.2) Apple.3) Super! Especially on the iPad. 4) Video clips – yes. Not so much on the ads. 5) Not really.

Bosse Händel, Volvo Cars, Shanghai

1) Just did.2) Apple.3) Nice, but it is a bit heavy to download the

magazine as a 50MB document before read-ing. Works when on WiFi only, I would say.

4) No.5) Would be great if I could only upload the

pages I am interested in.

Alexandra Leyton Espinoza, Scanmedia, Beijing

1) Yes.2) I use an Apple platform.3) I think it is a step in the right direction.

The vast majority of news and other information we consume is coming from the internet, and other social media.

4) I am using it to watch Dragon News short video clips.

5) Yes. Make it possible to adjust the size of the text on the iPhone since it is just too small and for the iPad make it possible to read both horizontal and vertical.

Lynn Li, Visit Sweden, Beijing

1) Yes.2) Apple.3) Very well designed. I think I will read it via

iPad to get updated news from the Swed-ish community and find useful contacts.

4) I think I will click which brands look inter-esting to me. The video clips are a very good function.

5) On the iPhone, it should be possible to zoom in and out on the articles; otherwise, it’s hard to read. Also, are there any share buttons to connect with social media sites?

Joakim Hedhill, Handelsbanken, Shanghai

1) Yes,2) Apple.3) I would rate the iPad app as 4 out of

10. The Economist has an app that I think you should take inspiration from. With Dragon News, you can only read it in portrait format but you should also enable landscape reading. I also don’t think it should be possible to scroll on the pages. If an article does not fit on the page it should be divided into sev-eral pages. Finally, it seems that it is not possible to zoom. The app has a great potential if you fix these small things.

4) No.5) See my answer on question 3.


www.handelsbanken.cn

Your Nordic Bank in Greater China

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Our offering includes full-service corporate banking, from all types of financing to a wide range of cash management services. As an experienced member of the local clearing system, our payment services are second to none.

We have been operating in Greater China for 30 years. Today we are the Nordic bank with the largest presence in the region.

Hong Kong - Dan Lindwall +852 2293 5388, Stephen Chan +852 2293 5322

Shanghai - Johan Andrén, Catherine Gao +86 21 6329 8877

Taipei - Amy Chen +886 2 2563 7458

Beijing - Jason Wang +86 10 6500 4310, Håkan Molin +86 10 6500 3435

Florence ChanAccount ManagerHong Kong Branch

Stephen ChanHead of Corporate BankingHong Kong Branch

Dan LindwallHead of Greater China and General Manager Hong Kong Branch

Jimmy BjennmyrSenior Account ManagerHong Kong Branch

Contact us to find out more about how we can help your business.

Documents

Dragon News - No. 2, 2013